Carton construction



g- 7- I J. F. BUFFENBARGER' 2,426,484

, GARTON CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 18, 194s JhMss F BuFFislvankasn, I INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 26,

James F. Bufienbarger, Middletown, Ohio, as-

Gardner-Bichai'dson Company, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio December is, 1943, serial a... 514,803

signor to The Middletown,

Application 4 Claims. (01. 224-222) I shall describe my invention in connection with cartons employed tohold shot gun shells, because such cartons and the uses of the materials which they contain aflord an excellent example of a field of utility for my invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the art that Figure 5 shows a carton supported on the person of the user.

the principles of the invention are applicable to other fields of utility in the light of the teachings hereinafter made, and that the invention itself may be used in any instance where it is desired to support a carton and its contents, by means of a bar, band, or other support which. may be engaged substantially as hereinafter taught.

Taking up the exemplary embodiment of the invention, it may be pointed out that shot gun shells regularly come packed in relatively small cartons. In the sport of skeet shooting the box of shells usually is deposited on some support near the marksman, which involves some inconvenience; Some skeet shooters provide themselves with pouches attached or attachable to the belt, and then unload the shot gun shells into" these pouches. This also involves some inconvenience; and the equipment is a matter of some expense. A primary object of my invention, as applied to this fleld of utility, is to provide a carton for shot gun shells which may be attached directly to the belt of the user, so as to be maintained on his person in a position of convenient access, and' todo this without increasing the normal cost of the carton structure, or otherwise diminishing the normal aspects in its utility. More broadly, an object of my invention is to provide a carton structure of such character that it will cooperate with a support of band, strap, or bar-like form, to hold the carton and its contents in a position of convenient access to the user, whether it be on his person or elsewhere.

These and other objects of my invention which will be pointed out hereinafter, or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts, of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively front and rear perspectives of a carton embodying my invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the car-- ton in use, and supported by a band as taught herein.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the carton with top flaps open to show more particularly its construction.

In the figures I have shown a tubular carton having a front wall I, side walls 2 and 3, a back wall 4, and a glue flap I. Articulatedto the back wall is a top wall member i which has; in articulation thereto, a tuck flap I. The side walls 2 and 3 carry closure flaps 8 and 9,!orming with the cover part just described, what is known as a tuck-end closure. In the particular form of box current for shot gun shells, the flaps 8 and 9 are provided with slitted tongues so as to be interlocking, as well understood in the art. One of these tongues is shown in Figure 4 at l0.

At its lower end, thecarton usually will have a similar setof flaps forming a tuck-end closure,

The exemplary carton shown is also provided as at H and I2 with short slits or slots following the line of articulation between top wall 6 and tuck flap I. These slots enable the ends of the tuck flap to lie beneath adjacent flaps 8 and 9,

forming a sort of lock to hold the cover in closed position, also as understood in the art.

My invention is based upon the concept that if the cover portion of a carton, after opening, may

then be bent backwardly so as to parallel the wall to which it is articulated, and if its then lower end may be held to thecarton body, the coveror top wall and the wall to which it is articulated, will form a sleeve which will accept a band, strap or bar to support the carton.

I have shown a way of accomplishing this result which comprises attaching the end of the top wall to the back wall of the carton by means of the cover tuck flap. Asillustrated in Fig. 2, angular slits I 3 and H are formed in the back wall 4, and these may, if desired, terminate upwardly in short horizontal slits l5 and 16, extendof the member 1 as a tuck flap in the closed box of Figs. 1 and 2; but they facilitate the insertion of the ends ofthe member I in the slits l3 and it when the cover wall 6 is bent backwardly as shown in Fig. 3. By reason of the slits H and I2, the end portions of the tuck flap 1 engage beneath portions of the back wall to resist an upward pull onthe cover wall.

In Fig. 3, shot gun shells are shown in the carton at l9. When the parts have been deposited as in that figure, a sleeve is formed between top wall 6 and back wall 4, through which a belt 26 may be passed. 4

Figure 5 illustrates a mode of use wherein the member 20 is the belt of the cartridge user, and wherein my invention'provides for the support of the carton on his person. Where the carton is to be used for skeet shooting, the flaps 6 and 9 will usually be torn from it to make the shells more accessible. In hunting, however, the flaps 8 and 9 may be retained and inter-engaged so as to prevent accidental loss of the shells.

As I have already indicated, the field of utility.

of my invention is not confined to the exemplary one described, nor to the supporting of cartons upon the person of the user. By way of another example, cartons intended to hold tacks or small mechanical parts, if constructed in accordance with my invention, may be supported upon a horizontal bar or the like.

The specific construction shown is one adapted for a carton having such dimension that the depth of the back wall is at least as great as the combined depths of the top wall and its tuck flap, as will now be evident. Othermodes of attaching the lower edge of a folded back top wall to the body of the carton may be employed. In a carton in which the depths of the back 'wall and top wall are equal, the tuck flap may be tucked up behind a lower free edge of the back wall; the back wall where deeper than the top wall, may be slitted to receive a tuck flap; other types of interlocks may be employed, and the interlock need not necessarily be effective between the back wall and a tuck flap articulated to the top wall. An interlock may be formed between a portion of the top wall itself and the back wall.

Thus, modifications may be-made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described my invention in an exemplary embodiment, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a carton having a body with walls and a bottom for enclosing contents, a top closure or band of metal above a work table including a tuck flap articulated tonne of the walls, and movable from a position in which it forms a top for the carton to another position in which it parallels and lies along the wall to which it is articulated, said'wall having slits to receive said tuck flap effective while the said top 4 closure is in the last mentioned position, for holding the then lower edge of it to the said wall to which it is articulated, whereby to form a sleeve for the acceptance of means for supporting the carton.

'2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the said tuck flap along the line of articulation to the top closure is provided with short, inwardly extending slots, forming tabs of the ends of the tuck flap, the said slitted wall being slitted angularly to receive said tabs, and having short horizontal slits forming an interlock with the slots in said tuck flap.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the said tuck flap along the line of articulation to the top closure isprovided with short, in-

. wardly extending slots, forming tabs of the ends of the tuck flap, the said slitted wall being slitted angularly to receive said tabs, and having short horizontal slits forming an interlock with the slots in said tuck flap, said tuck flap having diagonal score lines therein terminating at the ends of the aforementioned slots whereby to facilitate the insertion of said tabs in said slits.

4. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the said tuck flap along the line of articulation to the top closure is provided with short, inwardly extending slots, forming tabs of the ends or the tuck flap, the said slitted wall being slitted angularly to receive said tabs, and having short horizontal slits forming, an interlock with the slots in said tuck flap, said tuck flap having diagonal score lines therein terminating at the ends of the aforementioned slots whereby to facilitate the insertion of said tabs in said slits, said carton adjacent the aforementioned articulated top closure having flaps articulated to other walls, foldable over the contents of said'carton and interengageable to provide a supplemental closure for the carton.

'JAMES F. BUFFENBARGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

